I came across this tarp on ebay, but couldn’t find very much information on it. After talking with Ez-does-it, who owns a Meadows tarp, I went ahead and purchased one. I thought I’d post my initial impressions and some pictures in case anyone else is considering one.
The first thing I did was weigh the tarp in its stuffsack. On my scale it came in at 18 oz, which is 3 oz over the stated weight. It came with 6 V stakes, which weighed about .3 to .5 oz each (my scale isn’t accurate enough for that little weight).
The stuffsack is attached to the bottom edge of the tarp, which I suppose is so you don’t lose it. I don’t usually keep my tarp in a stuffsack, so I’ll be removing it and probably saving about an ounce. The tarp itself is well-made, but you can tell it’s not mass produced. The stitching is generally straight and even, but there were a few areas with a little puckering. I’ve sewn silnylon, though, so I know how slippery and difficult it is to work with…!
Setup was quick, even the first time, and I was able to get a tight pitch. The sides of needed to be folded under, and the bottoms of those panels were a little wrinkly, but I don’t see it being a problem. The stake-out loops are plastic D rings instead of cord or fabric loops, and the stakes are a very tight fit. I’d rather have a cord loop and might replace them. I needed all 6 included stakes to pitch the tarp, plus 1 more to stake out the rear guyline. The tarp wasn’t saggy, but usable space inside was increased quite a bit by utilizing that guyout point. I used a stick from the yard, since I was too lazy to go back inside to grab my other trekking pole.
The instructions said to put the tip of my pole through the D ring at the top, but the basket on mine interfered. I put the handle at the peak, and it seems stable enough even eithout anything but the shape of the tarp and tension holding it there.
Interior volume is good for 2 average sized adults, but 2 6+ footers probably would not be comfortable with the door closed. It’s huge for 1 plus gear and a dog, which is how I plan to use it. There’s plenty of room up front to sit up, which is important to me. I could probably even cook on my alcohol burner, but I woudn’t try it with a white gas or any stove that might flare up. The sidewalls are steep enough that I think it could handle snowfall without collapsing or seriously reducing interior space.
And of course, the pictures… :)
